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To combat the infamous “summer slide”—a time where students experience a lapse in learning during vacation—Salesforce hosted a Be A Multiplier event with The Hidden Genius Project, a business and technology mentorship program for black male youths. More than 40 Oakland, California high school students came to Salesforce’s headquarters in San Francisco for the afternoon of computer science education.

Salesforce Developer Evangelist and Director of Trailhead Leah McGowen-Hare hosted the event, providing the students hands-on experience in building an app on the Salesforce Platform. The students took advantage of Salesforce’s free learning platform, Trailhead, to learn new skills and earn badges for completing courses.

“This opened my eyes to the possibilities of what I could do,” said student participant DJ Edwards. “In middle school, I felt like technology was above me, like I wasn’t smart enough for it, but when I came to Hidden Genius I saw anyone could do it.”

The event was featured in a segment on CBS KPIX-TV, which showcased Salesforce’s commitment to building the next generation of technology leaders.